Jennifer Donnelly is the mother of Matthew, an acute lymphocytic leukemia patient who's story is featured in the Gap Give & Get Campaign.  Gap Give & Get gives you a 30% off coupon to shop at all Gap, Inc. store, with 5% of the proceeds going to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Jennifer shared her story with LLS:

How did you find out that Matthew had leukemia?

Matthew was diagnosed on December 11th, 2007, when he was two and a half years old. He hadn't been feeling well and our regular doctor thought he had a double ear infection. In fact he did have a double ear infection, but thankfully our doctor also had blood work done on Matthew, which ultimately determined that he had acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL).  It was devastating at the time, but in hindsight we were glad he was diagnosed early on.

Before Matthew's diagnosis, had you ever heard of leukemia?

To be honest, no -- but I learned very quickly.  I also found a huge support group of people out there who are willing to help.

How has LLS been helpful to you and Matthew?

We participate in LLS's finanicial aid program and have also participated in The Light The Night Walk twice.  Matthew was also recently named the 'Boy of the Year' for the local LLS chapter here on Long Island.

Your son has an amazing smile.  He looks like he has a very positive outlook.

He does!  When he was first diagnosed, going to see the doctors so often was difficult and I would try a number of things to make it a positive experience - like dressing up in costumes. Well now, Matthew actually looks forward to going! Once when we were on vacation in Disneyland, he surprised me with "Lets go to the clinic, Mom!"   There we were, in the "happiest place on earth" and he wants to go to the clinic!

How is Matthew doing now?

Matthew's doing very well. He's in the second year of his treatment, which will continue through 2011.  We are participating in a trial.

A clinical trial?

Yes, again, before Matthew had been diagnosed, I didn't realize how important clinical trials could be to treatment options.  I found out as much as I could in advance, especially about the protocol that was suggested for Matthew.  Now, I think of all of the people who participated in trials before us and I'm grateful.  If they hadn't, I wonder where we'd be now.  Thanks to previous trials and the people who participated in them, treatments have improved.

Have you participated in any previous Give & Get campaign?

We participated in both the spring and summer campaigns.  A coupon was forwarded to me via email.  The 30% discount is terrific and knowing 5% of the sale goes back to LLS - even better!

Now, when I know of a business, like Gap, that gives back to LLS -- I think, "They're doing this for research, they're doing this for cures, and they're doing this for my son."  It makes me want to cry because I know the true benefit of this kind of support.

Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing your story with us and allowing us to feature Matthew in this campaign.

Supporters of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society are using the new LLS Toolbar, raising  money for the cause with every Internet search and online purchase

What if even a fraction of the $140 billion generated by search engine advertising and online shopping was directed towards finding a cure for blood cancers and improving the quality of life of patients and their families?

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society recently teamed up with GoodSearch.com to launch the new Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Toolbar, which gives supporters a chance to raise money for the cause every time they search the Internet or shop online.

Once a supporter has added The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Toolbar to a web browser (like Internet Explorer, Safari or Firefox), each time s/he shops at one of more than 1,300 participating top stores (including Amazon, Target, Apple, Macy’s, Best Buy, Orbitz, Staples and others), LLS will earn a percentage of the purchase price – at no extra cost to the user!

The toolbar also includes a Yahoo! powered search box and every time a user searches the web, about a penny is donated to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  The pennies add up - just 5,000 supporters searching four times a day will earn around $73,000 in a year!

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Toolbar gives supporters at all income levels a tool to help raise funds for our cause.  While doing a search or shopping online, why not raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society?

“We know there are a lot of people who want to do good, but may not have the time or the money to help out.” said Ken Ramberg, Co-Founder of GoodSearch and former President of MonsterTRAK, the largest online career site for college students (now a division of Monster.com). “The new Leukemia & Lymphoma Toolbar makes it as easy as possible.  We’ve taken something people do every day -- searching the Internet and shopping online -- and have turned it into doing good."

This Thanksgiving, tune into FOX for a new holiday variety show, Kaleidoscope.  The show rounds up Olympic skating champions and GRAMMY Award-winning music artists, like Scott Hamilton, Dorothy Hamill, Olivia Newton-John and David Foster. Also performing are Kristi Yamaguchi, Nancy Kerrigan and Olympic figure skating hopefuls Johnny Weir and Rachael Flatt.

But the event isn't only about the entertainment.  Kaleidoscope was designed to recognize women and the key role they play in the battle against cancer - as patients, caregivers, and advocates.

In addition to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Kaleidoscope has teamed up with nine other cancer-related advocacy partners.  Together, this team of Cancer Advocacy Partners hopes to shed some light on how we're all touched by cancer and can all make a difference.

You can help!  Tune in to FOX on Thanksgiving (November 26th) at 4:00pm (EST), immediately following the Thanksgiving Day football telecast. The event will be pre-recorded on Monday, November 16th at 7:00pm at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. If you're in the area, tickets for taped performance are on sale now.

Find out more at www.womenandcancer.com, or read the press release.

Steelers Defensive End, #91, Aaron Smith, was joined by the entire defensive line, more than a dozen players and their families, to make up Team Elijah in this year's Light The Night Walk.   The team was formed in honor of Smith's six-year-old son, Elijah, who was diagnosed with leukemia last year.

New collaboration supports LLS while making more great seats available to the summer’s most sought-after concerts.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has partnered with Tickets-for-Charity®  to offer fans a convenient way to purchase great seats to high-demand concerts – Coldplay, Billy Joel & Elton John, Kenny Chesney, Counting Crows and many more – while supporting the fight against blood cancers. Seats on Tickets-for-Charity’s website are available at face value plus a separate donation amount that now may also directly benefit LLS. Learn more

Tickets-for-Charity connects with artists, managers, venues and promoters to set aside an allotment of seats to be sold on its website for typically the same price or better than fans would pay elsewhere. The difference with Tickets-for-Charity is that 100% of the benefit above face value goes directly to supporting partner charities, including LLS, and the original face value of the ticket is paid back to the artist. Tickets-for-Charity charges an industry standard service fee to help maintain the platform and facilitate all donation processing.

Recently profiled in The Wall Street Journal, Tickets-for-Charity CEO Jord Poster notes that the purpose of Tickets-for-Charity is to give concertgoers the opportunity to help others. "All we're doing is creating a socially positive option for consumers when they can't find what they want," Poster says. "Rather than paying $400 to a broker or scalper, they can pay $400 to Tickets-for-Charity. The difference is that most of the benefit is going to charity rather than a secondary reseller."

Visit ticketsforcharity.com when you're looking for your seats to the next hot concert -- and know you can easily support life-saving cancer research when you do.

If you're in Manhattan on September 12th, watch out as the city will be stormed with brides and grooms on the hunt for diamonds!  Michael C. Fina and Tacori, leaders in the jewelry and bridal industry, have partnered to host a diamond scavenger hunt. Proceeds from “Diamond Dash: Dash for a Diamond & a Cure” will support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

The dashers will race down the streets of NYC, solving clues sent via SMS, and stopping at various wedding-related destinations throughout the city.  The first couple to reach each destination will be awarded with a prize valued up to $3,500! And, the couple that reaches the final destination first will be awarded an incredible Grand Prize.

Grand prize winners of the Diamond Dash will receive a beautiful handcrafted Tacori engagement ring setting, matched with a Tacori Diamond, both valued at approximately $20,000, as well as a honeymoon package to Waikoloa Beach Resort on Hawaii's Big Island, including roundtrip airfare and four nights hotel accommodations at Hilton Waikoloa Village.  The dash will culminate with a once-in-a-lifetime proposal opportunity.

Think you know all there is to know about NYC's wedding hot-spots and trivia? Do you and your special someone Want a chance to grab some prizes? Sign up for the event at www.diamondsmakeadifference.com.  We're limited to 1,000 teams, so act fast.

One of the things that we love about our events is how they enable people to meet others working towards the same goals –trying to help end blood cancers, and having fun while doing it. Every once in a while we hear about a story of how one of our programs has been instrumental in helping people develop an important personal relationship, and I think that following deserves some retelling

Michelle Fried has a long history with our National Capital Area chapter (NCA). As a volunteer, participant and Board of Trustees president, Michelle has been a dedicated supporter of LLS for many years.

Because of her passion and well-rounded experience with LLS, Michelle was chosen as an ambassador-of-sorts to help encourage participation in LLS events.  Last year, this role brought her face-to-face with Jim Galvanek, a 10-year leukemia survivor.  Not only did this meeting lead to Jim being named NCA’s 2008 Man of the Year, but eventually, to an unexpected romance.

The two amazing volunteers quickly became good friends.  Their friendship turned into a lasting connection.

This summer, The Light The Night Walk Kick-off was held at National Stadium, home of the Washington Nationals, just before the start of a game. Along with about 500 other people, Jim and Michelle were there showing their support for LLS.  Jim led Michelle to the stadium rooftop, as the game began so the couple could get a bird’s eye view of the field. It was up there that they shared a private moment together and Jim asked her to marry him.

After sharing the news with friends and volunteers alike, the two enjoyed a few innings.  Soon after, the Jumbotron lit up naming Jim and Michelle "Fans of the Game.”

The NCA Deputy Executive Director, one of the lucky people to see these two lovebirds' relationship evolve, said that it has been really sweet to watch two good friends and amazing volunteers make a lasting connection and remember how LLS has been instrumental in their relationship.

Michelle and Jim have not only found each other, but they have also given much of their personal time to LLS – something for which we at LLS are grateful for every day.

World-renowned actress and writer, Tina Fey, is lending her voice as the 2009 Light The Night Walk National Spokesperson.  Her message is direct and to the point.  "Cancer.  It's a dark word.  When it's directed at you or a loved one, it can turn your world upside-down..."

Watch this video of Tina's national television PSA for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Truer words have never been spoken.  Luckily there's a way to shed some light.  It's time to walk the talk.  Join Tina Fey and thousands of others for The Light The Night Walk.  Registration has begun.  You can be a part of the fight against blood cancers by signing up for a walk near you today.

Tina is also featured on GoodSearch's Who's Doing Good?  You can use GoodSearch as a simple way to help support LLS.   Visit GoodSearch.com and select LLS as your charity of choice.  Then, search away!  Every time you search, you're helping to raise funds for LLS.

Find a Light The Night Walk near you, and regsiter today!